The present invention relates to a data processing system for creating a representation of a real-world, non-standard, complex object in a graphical user interface (GUI). More particularly, a process is utilized that allows a bit mapped image to be placed inside a standard window wherein only the bit mapped image is visible.
Object oriented programming is a known technology which encapsulates data and methods into a programming entity called an object. By protecting certain methods and data through a public interface, an object oriented program can insulate each component from changes to other components yet provide the needed functions with a minimum of reprogramming. For more background information on object oriented technologies, concepts and conventions, please see the following references, Object Oriented Design with Applications, Grady Booch (The Benjamin/Cummins Publishing Company, 1990) and Object Oriented Software Construction, by B. Meyer, (Prentice Hall, 1988).
Typically, in graphical user interfaces, everything is present in terms of windows, which include items such as a size border, rectangular client, menu, title bar and the like. These items are not found in real-world objects, such as a telephone or a book that sits on a user""s desk. Current data processing technology is moving towards displaying these real-world objects on the computer screen. It is very desirable to have the real-world object on the GUI desktop appear very similar to what a user experiences in real life.
Graphic images are normally rendered using a plurality of interconnected geometric shapes. That is, a set of lines and polygons are input by software to a graphics engine that displays these images on a computer monitor. For example, a circle may be drawn by rendering a series of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines in their appropriate relationship. More complex shapes are generally drawn using a variety of triangle, trapezoids, lines, rectangles and the like to create an image. U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,783 discusses tessellating complex images into rectangular areas that can be filled by conventional graphics adapters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,860 displays trimmed surfaces after a three-dimensional surface has ben tesselated into triangles. A polygon trimming mask is formed using an XOR operation to set the bits in a mask plane. The bits in the mask are compared with the bits in the frame buffer and the rendering hardware draws the pixels corresponding to the bits in the mask plane.
Conventional data processing systems do utilize known, familiar images, such as notebook pages in their graphical user interfaces. However, these conventional techniques utilize existing methods of associating related lines, rectangles, triangles and other polygons to create the image. Often, any curved edges of the objects displayed, using prior art techniques, are jagged since a series of connected angular lines are associated to form the curve.
The majority of xe2x80x9creal-worldxe2x80x9d physical objects that are encountered by computer users include at least one curved edge. As computers become more sophisticated it is desirable to represent more and more physical objects by a graphical user interface. To ensure that user""s (both sophisticated and unsophisticated) are comfortable with the emerging software technologies, it is advantageous to make the displayed objects as realistic as possible.
Therefore, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method which provides for the creation of any xe2x80x9creal-worldxe2x80x9d type image, regardless of the presence of any curved edges.
In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides a system and method for creating an object in an application window wherein the window boundaries are invisible to a user.
Broadly, the present invention provides for the creation of an object as a bitmap image where the background pixels have the same color and are different from any color found in the object. A region is created corresponding to the area that the object will occupy. Next, an application window is created on the desktop having borders, title bar, scroll bar, and the like. The size of the window will correspond to the dimensions of the bitmap image. A clipping function is then implemented to remove all of the areas in the application window which do not correspond to the bitmap image.
Therefore, in accordance with the previous summary, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.